we gotta get outta this place if it's the last thing we ever do

Oh, friends. So sorry for the long absence. We’ve been up at my mom’s place taking care of her, as she’s had pneumonia. We’ve been away from our house for 2+ weeks. And now we’re home, and home is

SWEET.

The atmosphere at the house where my mom and brother live can get oppressive. (I love them both within an inch of their lives. However.) My brother suffers from both chronic pain and mental illness. And my mom, of course, was suffering from the pneumonia. She was a tough patient for the first week or so. Cranky, picky, morose. I mean, I get it. Pneumonia. No fun. But whoooosh! Some of her sample text for that first stretch:

I need hot water.This applesauce is sour.You abandoned me.

Finally, she started on the up and up; her mood lifted, and she was very appreciative and lovely. But then my brother’s mental illness started to jack up a bit. There’s no need to go into the details, but I will say that it’s maybe not the most relaxing thing in the world to hang around. Far less relaxing for him, I dig. But there you go.

So, I hain’t been feeling too bloggy. But now I’m home, and I’m all stuffed up with fried chicken from the 5-Spot, and there are cupcakes in the kitchen, and we have a stack of dvd’s to watch – we’re catching up on The Sopranos – and Finn is whaling and dolphining around my innards like a champ, and we’re going to sleep in our nice comparatively big bed that has room for me, Dave, Finn and my big pregnancy pillow to sleep without anyone falling out. Hallelujah.

I want to thank you for returning to this erstwhile tumbleweedy dustbowl. May I quickly make it re-inhabitable for you.